Let’s Go Anywhere
Seattle, WA
We are setting off to start our our new life in Melbourne, Australia. With us on this adventure is as little as we could imagine bringing to a new home halfway around the world, . Two bags for each of us to last until our half container pod of remaining essentials (and some not so) are set to arrive 4-6 weeks after we do.
We bid adieu to Alley 24, our home for nearly four years, tossed our two bags into the Subaru for the last time and drove up to Ballard to crash in our friend’s 4’ by 7’ TV room. This will be our cozy accommodations for four nights until our flight on the 20th. Sometime in that span we’ll be selling our trusty steed and further shedding some last possessions that missed the boat but can’t be justified in the checked luggage.
Now that we are unemployed, transient couch surfers the enormity of the move must be faced. No more second guessing the decision, no more dreamy discussions. Now just real, live logistics – an AirBnB, work visas, money transfers, international shipping manifestos, packing re-packing our luggage.
We’ll be there soon and once we arrive we’ll do our best to document our adventure here so feel free to follow along as we share the highlights of our life Down Under.
Arrival in Melbourne
Melbourne, Vic
A full twenty-four hours after leaving Seattle – via our scheduled Los Angeles stop and our unscheduled Sydney one – we arrived in Melbourne. Immigration and customs took a matter of minutes, either a nod to Australian efficiency or, possibly, apathy. Our journey to the taxi stand took us outside and into the heat, a very welcome 36C (97F) heat. As our cab headed into the city our fatigue and exhaustion melted away as our new home came into view out of the car windows. We had made it. Our new lives here were a blank canvass waiting for us to fill them with memories of a lifetime. This blew a strong wind into our sails; ready we were to see what this continent has to offer.
After a few wrong turns down some tricky one-way alleys, our driver found our AirBNB flat (apartment) and set us free. We dumped our luggage, changed into our bathers (swimsuits) and headed down to the St. Kilda beach to showcase the whitest skin in all of Oz (Australia), perhaps the Southern Hemisphere. In the mid-arvo (afternoon),our hunger pangs drove us from the beach to Fitzroy Street for a snack. We cashed in our gift certificate to Milk the Cow, a wine and cheese shop near the beach. All manner of fancy spreads and cuts were brought our way; all consumed in short order. We retired for our first night down under, but not before catching a few matches of The Tennis (The Australian Open) on The Tele (TV).
Settling In
Melbourne, Vic
On our first full day, we dove right into the culture with a cup of morning tea out on our deck. The cool, marine breeze of the early morning soon gave way to summer heat. We took a long walk along the Bay Trail down to Point Ormond. The way back was warm; the heat, the sweat, the sun on our skin all so wonderful after the last few months in wet and cool Pacific Northwest. We live here now.
The Tennis
Melbourne, Vic
For three weeks in late January / early February all eyes – in the tennis world at least – are on Melbourne and the Australian Open. Or, more affectionately referred to here on the ground as The Tennis . The cultural immersion program we had set for ourselves dictate that we attend, and that we did. A gorgeous, sunny Saturday with temperatures near 30C (86F), we arrived early, as did the rest of the city. Tickets to the two main courts were sold out so we settled for ground passes. A ground pass allows access to all other venues but main courts, including the very large Hisense Arena. Our lacking of planning did mean we’d miss Venus Williams’ match; however, our early did permit a showing of Serena practicing from up close, so not all was lost. It should not go unmentioned that the lines to enter the cultural events – the beer and wine gardens – stretched on to the far reaches of the grounds as Melbourne’s 20-somethings shook off last night’s hangover queued up for another run at it. No prom or gala in America had anything on this scene.
Serena’s practice session sated our patriotic hunger; next on to Hisense and some actual matches. Prior to the opening 11am match seats were plentiful. As rookies do, we made a rookie mistake and sat in the glaring sun, amazed at why such good seats were available when less optimal ones (shaded) were taken. A few hours later, the place was packed and we were sweating through our clothes, the full power of antipodal sun baking our northern bodies. We endured two hours of roasting to see the Spaniard, Muguruza down Bacsinszky of Switzerland in a hard fought women’s singles match. A welcome relief as the shade enveloped us for match two. Here, the 8th ranked Montenegro-Canadian Milos Raonic used his 220+ km/h serve to breeze by the scrappy Benjamin Becker of Germany.
The grounds were throbbing full at this point and, needing food and drink, we called it a day and left for home. Our hunger and thirst pulled us into a pit stop at the Royal Croquet Club’s (RCC) off-site Aussie Open extravaganza…basically a massive beer garden with food trucks, croquet courts and a DJ spinning house music. Attendance was minimal – it was early – but judging by the size of the beer stands it would become a righteous rave later in the evening. Still jet lagged and a good decade older than the likely demographic, we could not muster the resolve to go on a day long drinking spree and, after a delicious snack and two Hahn Lights made our way home. Cultural immersion complete.
Market Day
Melbourne, Vic
The Queen Victoria Market is both a tourist trap full of fake Australian Outback hats and crocodile wallets as well as fully functional grocery store and mercantile. Where else can you buy a pallet of kangaroo pelts, mystery crystals, footie gear, toothpaste, antique collectibles and a dozen duck eggs all in the same place? There is truly something for everyone. We bought none of the above, instead spending most our time investigating the widest variety of cured meats we’d ever seen.
[Erin] Being from Seattle, my expectations of coffee are high. Melbourne’s reputation as having a world class coffee culture proceeds it. In the three days we’ve been here, I’ve found it to be as promised and have been been gleefully sampling from a variety of new favorite, local cafes. Market Lane Coffee has a corner shop in the Queen Vic Market and since I wasn’t really sure what a flat white or a long black would end up as, I ordered a cappuccino like a pro, right up until I tried to pay for a $4 coffee with two 20 cent coins. (For some reason the smaller coins are larger amounts here). After Googling “long black” I decided it would be the closest to my Americano order back home and I can avoid looking like a complete dumbass next time. I am also adding this bit of information to save you all from Googling long black in the workplace.
With Market bags in hand and caffeine needs met, we took the tram back to our temporary home in St. Kilda for a sunny lunch on our patio. At some point we will stop acting like this is a vacation and get on with the details of finding a house, but not quite yet…
’Stralia Day
Melbourne, Vic
Australia Day celebrates the 1788 landing of the British First Fleet in the Sydney Cove. We expected something like an Australian Fourth of July extravaganza. On account of souring public opinion over the ensuing treatment of the Aboriginal peoples, the reality of the holiday is something closer to a modest Columbus Day barbecue. As luck so had it, an old classmate of Erin’s had recently moved to Melbourne and had extended to us an invite to a afternoon party out in Wattle Park, east of the city. On the (not to scale) Melbourne tram map, it looked close enough. Ignorant of the speed, or lack thereof, of the tram system, we jumped aboard the 16 east then north through St. Kilda East, Balacava, Caulfield North, Malvern, Kooyong and then Hawthorn where we transferred to the 70 where upon we crawled through Hawthorn East, Camberwell, Surrey Hills and finally into Box Hill South, home to the Park of Wattle. Along the way we were overtaken by many a cyclist, scooter, rickshaw, jitney, wheelchair, pram, stray dog; really anything wheeled or anyone particularly fleet of foot was bound to pass us eventually.
We arrived eventually, the beer that we purchased earlier now fully the temperature of the ambient air. The small fete was enjoyable, a good chance to meet some local people and test our new land’s ability to through a bash. Marooned out here in the burbs, the only economically sensible thing to do was to ride the same slow pony back to town…at least we knew what to expect this time. We rewarded ourselves for our arduous travels with some of the world’s greatest frozen yogurt, Yo-Chi. To walk off these excess calories, we ambled down to the beach to watch the sun dip below the gentle waves of Port Phillip Bay.
Back to Work
University of Melbourne, Vic
The fun had to end eventually, I was down here for a job after all. Mind you I wasn’t headed to the salt mines or anything resembling difficult physical labor, but coming back to a schedule and being responsible to an employer was a unwelcome change nonetheless.
I arrived to the brand new Melbourne School of Design (MSD) building and my 9:30 appointment to find that my name was not in the system. As a result, I I could not be granted my ID card, login information, email, etc. Really anything that would permit me to do any actual work, administrative or otherwise. I was, however, awarded my complimentary kitchen set (with a tea mug of my favorite color). This is the warm welcome I had been expecting.
Additionally, due to some scheduling issues, there is a squatter in my current office for the next few weeks. I have been set up with with a temporary space in a large group meeting-type room (with adequate space for my tea set). It is comfortable enough and my office mates are quite, albiet a bit weird.
I was starting to wonder if I actually had a job here, but in wandering the halls I did locate a door with my name on it…so I guess that is a good sign. Hopefully, tomorrow I’ll be able to commence my tenure at the University. For now, I’m just a visitor stuck in a room with mannequins busy balancing his spoon on his nose while shotgunning lukewarm, free tea. Oh yeah, and every time I leave the room to go to the bathroom I need to place a chair in the door lest it close behind me and lock me out.
Beach Boxes
Brighton, Vic
When not outside basking in the glorious January weather, we are busy on Domain.com.au searching for a place to live. This either means walking or taking the trams/trains to different neighborhoods around the city until we are exhausted or sunburned, often both. Our standard operating procedure once in such a condition is to find refuge and relief in a gelato or frozen yogurt shop. I dare you to judge us.
Recently we found ourselves in Brighton touring a home for which we didn’t really have the budget to rent. Brighton is a beautiful, higher end location just inland from a sparkling white beach. Like a crow drawn to shiny objects, Erin gravitates towards bright colors and patterns. Our visit to the famous Brighton Beach Bathing Boxes was no short affair.
Sticking our toes in the sand and watching the tourists (ourselves not included; we are locals after all) was a needed distraction from the stress of finding a home. The rental process here is, well, odd. Open houses or inspections, as they are referred to, are 15 minute affairs, and unfurnished rentals don’t come with a washer/dryer, dishwasher or refrigerator unless you are lucky. As a result, the next time we move, we will be the proud owners of a bunch of big ass appliances. Two of the houses that we really like have inspection times tomorrow, unwittingly with overlapping 15 minute periods and across town from one another. We will divide and conquer, and hopefully trust the other’s judgment…but for now, we worry not about this and relax on the beach dreaming of our next cool, sugary treat.
In Search of a Home
Melbourne, Vic
We are still vagabonds, living off of takeout at our small, but comfortable AirBnB in the heart of St. Kilda. We put in an application for the small brick homes in the photo below. There are no guarantees here in this ‘lottery for a rental home’ system. It is just one of hundreds that we’ve looked at online and one of a handful that we’ve inspected and applied for. We feel like we have a good chance here because it isn’t the in the hip, cool neighborhoods north of the city, but in a quieter, family-ish area to the south. All the better for us as we prefer beaches and parks to bars and brunches anyways.
This process has been, well, exhausting. Our past weekend consisted mostly of jumping on and off various trams to schlep around to far-flung areas of the city in order to inspect homes or check out new neighborhoods. At some of the more glamorously located places, the crowds are insane; over 50 people showed up to a house Saturday morning. All this bandying about has its benefits – we stumbled on a wild Chinese New Year celebration, have found some of the city’s best architecture, sampled even more frozen yogurt and gelato shops and even procured Erin her first (likely of many) Australian meat pies. We know some tram routes by heart and now have a pretty good sense of what is overpriced. All this local knowledge should also help me in the classroom where my first day of teaching is soon approaching.
Not So Super Bowl
Prahran, Vic
9am Monday morning and we are headed to a bar. A friend of a friend had invited us out to the College Lawn Hotel in Prahran neighborhood. Entrance was pricey, but we did get all you could drink beers and wines and a wide variety of free bar foods. Upon arrival, we noticed the 12th man flag in the window. We had made a good choice.
The place filled quickly and there were about 200 people jammed in by the time the game started. Its a big place, with numerous outdoor beer gardens, separate rooms and bars, so it never really felt too crowded. I’d guess it was about 50% Seahawks fans, 30% Patriots fans, 10% random NFL jerseys (Barry Sanders, an old Darrelle Revis Jets and Mark Chmura…ok, no Mark Chmura) with the balance made up of about 20 odd Aussie dudes who didn’t care much for the game, but couldn’t seem to pass up all-you-could drink event on a Monday morning.
We met about a dozen people from Seattle or the surrounding area, including one ex-Seattleite whose name was, I kid you not, Erin Krause. The people and the atmosphere were great, the beer was good and the food was, well, filling. We’ll stop there as nothing really needs to be said about the game itself….at least we had an ample selection of decent Australian microbrews (and Heineken) to kill the pain.
How Ya Goin?
Albert Park, Vic
After many tours, followup emails and countless hours scouring online listings, we finally secured a place to live. It is a wee Victorian cottage in a neighborhood called Albert Park. It is a quaint, but upscale little area with adequate, but not hip, amenities and, importantly, is only a walk or short bike ride to the beach and a direct tram ride away from the University and downtown Melbourne. We are undoubtedly bringing down the median income for the area. We get the keys on Friday, so we will share more later in the week about the house.
Today, Erin focused on some early neighborhood reconnaissance today. Near our house this is another open air market, the South Melbourne Market. Compared to the Victoria Market we visited last week. This market is much smaller, but it still has amazing variety and yet better prices. It is less catered to the tourists and more toward locals looking for their groceries, staple items and delicious meals. Specialty shops abound, like the Tea Drop an entire booth dedicated to exotic and high end teas. It has Easter egg colored canisters stacked so high, it necessitated a ladder to reach them. And that bookstore-style ladder is not just some trendy design detail, my own order required its use.
Picking her way slowly my way stall by stall through the market, Erin continued to come across the same issue we’ve both have had for the past two weeks of meeting and greeting friendly Aussies. Instead of the “G’day” that everyone in America expects Australians to say, we almost always get some slurred version of ‘How ya goin’ or ‘How’re ya going?’ This obviously means ‘Hi, How are you doing?’, and so we usually answer ‘Good’, but every single time there is an urgeto answer the question of where I’m going or how I got here, By tram? St. Kilda? I walked?
Knowing that we’d soon be leaving our St.Kilda apartment we spent our evening with a dinner at Babu Ji a fashionable Indian restaurant just down the street. For a bit more than the cost of standard meal, the quality was outstanding. Some of most unique Indian flavors we each have ever tasted. We are quite grateful that our new home is just a short tram ride away from this gem. To aid in the digestion of this large meal, we concluded with a nice long walk along St.Kilda Beach. Our home beach for just a few more days, until we relocated a mile or so to the west.
Ikea-a-thon
Richmond, Vic
We now have a house. It is filled with exactly nothing as all we own here are the bags we brought on the plane (and the various suncreens Andy has hoarded in the past two weeks) and those are still at the Airbnb we have for a few more days. So we went shopping. Furniture shopping – the seventh level of hell for one of us. In fact, Andy might prefer any of the following over furniture shopping: going to the dentist, watching period-piece dramas and line dancing. All of this shopping was, however, book-ended by two outdoor festival-type events and fun pit stops along the way – which is probably why we got through it in one piece. And, not only does Andy now know the difference between a left and right chaise lounge but he can spot pebble weave upholstery from 50 meters out….
All of the things that we couldn’t physically carry out of the store will be delivered to our home sometime in the next week. Hopefully our number of days of sleeping on the floor will be exactly zero.
Overall, our weekend went something like this:
(Fri) South Melbourne Market night market complete with delicious street paella.
(Sat) Some suburban Ikea and Domain Housewares Mall (think Ron Swanson’s personal hell).
(Sun AM) West Elm, then urban Ikea (yes, multiple Ikeas in a weekend)
(Sun PM) The St. Kilda Festival with 300,000 of our fellow Melburnians…right in our back yard.
Moving In
Albert Park, Vic
This entire blog post could be about nothing more than the series of minor failures that we have had in the past week while moving into our new home. Instead, we will channel the positive and enlighten you with the few, but crucial wins we have had secured.
To begin, we are now the proud owners of a complete set of ‘white goods’ – washing machine, dryer, and refrigerator. True adults are we. Once past the initial annoyance of knowing that we would have to not only buy these and but then also move them around to each place we will rent in the city we have become quite attached to them. Not so far as to name them, though. Not yet.
As our shipping crate of things – some necessary and others not – has been delayed until late March, we are trying to get by living minimally until then. While temporarily living with ‘just the essentials’ seems simple enough, it really isn’t as fun as it sounds to cook a full meal in one pot, or share one towel or sleep on a bed frame without the proper slats, therefore folding the mattress like a burrito, (one of many IKEA fails). To remedy this, Erin broke down and just started buying things we needed. As satisfying as it felt to start filling up the house, without a car, she was the girl walking a mile and a half with a stainless steel garbage can balanced on her head, and then back a mile and a half to return it when she realized it didn’t work with a plastic bag since, per the shopkeeper, you were just supposed to rinse out the plastic liner each time (?). Okay, so in the end we did share some of the fails; some things are too good to keep to oneself.
Back in the win column, we also bought bikes this week. This affair took an entire afternoon but we ended up with two beautiful road bikes at a bargain price as well as finding ourselves a new and very Lithuanian friend. Test riding the bikes was a little horrific at first since biking on the wrong side of the road is only slightly less jarring than driving on the wrong side, but we caught on quick. It took a little convincing our friend that Erin wasn’t completely helpless on a bike, and in the end we both walked away with men’s bikes. Erin was informed this men’s bike would fit her fine due to her “gentlemen’s shoulders”. We also learned more than we wanted to know about a recent crime epidemic in Footscray, the state of immigration politics in Australia and tips for maintaining proper brake cable tightness.
Our new wheels allowed us to explore farther and faster than before. This offered a needed break from hours of Ikea instruction following. It is also provided much needed practice at operating on the opposite side of street as we will, eventually, find ourselves driving down here.
A Downtown Walkabout
Melbourne, Vic
To celebrate St. Valentine (Valentino in the large Italian sector of Melbourne) we explored our city – a long date filled with many cultural institutions and ice creams. We began with a trip to the State Library and concluded at Federation Square, connecting these two iconic places via the least efficient and most interesting route possible. Down alleyways and up lanes, along the Yarra river walk and through a New Year’s festival. Erin paused to capture more photos of activated street-scapes and sidewalk cafes than Andy cared to, but this city is proving to be a designer’s dream and she can’t help but get swept up in it.
Over the past few weeks, Erin has spent considerable time in cafes stealing wifi and drinking coffee with Melbournians. She’s become familiar with the standard breakfast that is ordered to accompany a morning coffee. The usual is a granola-based dish (occasionally bircher) with yogurt and some take on fruit compote. Now that we have acquired a pot for our kitchen, she has decided she should start making this simple breakfast dish at home instead of eating out so much. We are in the middle of summer, and all the markets are selling stone fruit for crazy sales, so recently she lugged home 2 kilos of it – which is, as she learned, considerably more than two pounds and not that easy to carry home. When Andy came home to a fruit poaching factory and asked what I was making, he heard ‘Truman Capote’ instead of ‘fruit compote’, so now every morning for breakfast, I sit down to a small, but satisfying bowl of yogurt and Truman compote.
A Little Slice of Home
Melbourne, Vic
In need of a vacuum, a year’s worth of toilet paper, three liters of barbecue sauce, a kilo and half of haloumi and several other bulk items that can only be moved with a pallet jack, we took a short tram ride to Costco Australia, conveniently located just north of downtown Melbourne. Rumor has it that the Melburnians were so pleased with the arrival of the big ‘C’ that they built a Ferris wheel in the parking lot.
It was hot; 37C to be exact, which is about 99F if you are a Yank. Inside of Costco – a Costco nearly identical in shape, layout, color and smell to those back home – was a comfortable 20 degrees. There were Kirkland signs everywhere, large families moving very slowly down every aisle and the pervasive odor (aroma?) of grilled meats. We trolled the samples; Erin hitting up the Jelly Belly lady more times than is likely allowed. Our cart swelled, we had purchased enough necessities that we had to catch a cab home as schlepping all of our goods on the tram would have been poor form. It was oddly comforting (or maybe no so oddly) to be in a place so familiar so far from home. We’ll definitely make this a monthly outing…if for no other reason than to buy affordable American whiskey.
In the afternoon, we took a short walk to the Optus store to update our cell phone plans. On the way home we were caught in a very heavy 15-minute downpour. The sun was shining, the windy howling and massive raindrops pummeled the sidewalk. It passed, but the heat did not abate so we grabbed some cheap beers and headed to the beach for sunset. Sundowners on the beach just a ten minute walk from home. This is a life one can get used to.
Furniture and F1
Albert Park, Vic
Big week for us. We bought a grill (barbie), our couch and desk were delivered (installed incorrectly) and our internet was finally installed (with speeds near that of Andy’s early 2000s dorm room…). After tethering our cell phones to our computers in order to get work done and sitting on the floor for 2 weeks, this was a big improvement. That said, we are coming around to the minimalist approach. Here, here, Marie Kondo. By the time our shipping crate arrives – now scheduled for early April – we may wonder why we thought we needed all the stuff we brought from Seattle. We will also have to find a place for our bikes which are currently stored in our second bedroom with all of the giant boxes from our appliances. Our recycling bin is small so each week Erin carefully cuts down the huge boxes into smaller pieces to jam into the tiny bin. We may have emptied that room out by mid-April, it will be tight. We’ve considered an illegal bonfire in the middle of street some night, but the Aussies as a whole are a bit jumpy about potential bush fires.
We are riding our bikes every day and it almost feels OK to be riding on the wrong (left) side of the road. After we moved in to the neighborhood we realized that the Melbourne Grand Prix course takes up residence here as well every March. Although the races don’t actually start until the 12th of March, the course has been under construction since we have been here. The course is a loop road around Albert Park Lake and until they fully shut the road down our new evening ritual is to take laps around the course. It is actually quite fun whipping around the F1 course with no cars on it. Apparently it is going to be incredibly loud in our little village, but it seems like it will be entertaining. A lady in Erin’s boxing class said she heads to the coast every year at this time since the neighborhood becomes “overrun with Bogans” (Australian term for ‘redneck’). It was good to hear that some things are internationally true…
A Walk in the City, A Walk in the Bush
Melbourne + Belgrave, Vic
We are getting to know our new city bit by bit and day by day. Whether by suggestions from new friends, places we have read about on local websites or curiosities stumbled upon while lost, we end up on weekly field trips to discover little city gems. Whilst wandering the city, one of the most pleasant surprises is volume and diversity of street art in Melbourne. This weekend we decided to specifically search out some of the downtown alleys and lanes that have been transformed to destinations. While at first we were reminded of the Gum Wall in Pike Place Market – the alleys smelled appropriately of warm garbage and small packs of people were milling around and taking pictures – the colorful and character-filled alleys won us over and our hunt for the best hidden murals took most of the afternoon.
Before we moved here, we made it a priority each weekend get out of the city to hike or camp. We realized it had been five weeks of living in Melbourne and we hadn’t gotten out of town so we decided to take the train 1.5 hours east to the end of the line and spend some time hiking in the Dandendong Ranges National Park. The Ranges are hills, not mountains, but no matter, nature is nature. We hiked through massive Eucalyptus forests and other than an unruly and incredibly loud swarm of parrots, we didn’t run into any wildlife, poisonous or otherwise. The smell of the Eucalyptus forests are intoxicating; an aroma that will no doubt stick with us for the rest of our days. Erin did see a small red ant on Andy’s back on the walk back to the train station which she immediately overreacted to and yelled “Fire Ant!” before swatting at repeatedly. The veracity of the ant sighting remains in doubt by one of our party.
Classroom Debut
Parkville, Vic
The students returned to campus this week, which meant the peacefulness Andy had been enjoying at work was suddenly shattered. It was easy to forget hat a scene a thriving 40,000 student campus could become. Added to this was the fact that we were housed in a brand new building, the likes of which the students hadn’t seen yet, so much gawking, pointing and general malaise in way-finding occurred. The start of the school year also meant that Andy had to teach.
In terms of week one, well, Andy survived. His class lost a few minutes being locked out of our room and he undoubtedly used a number of American terms that they have no idea the meaning of. To date, no official complaints were lodged with administration. We’ll see how many students show up this coming week. While the students were focused on finding their classes, Andy sneaked away one afternoon to read in the sun on the surprisingly empty cricket grounds.
After we accepted the job here and realized we would be moving to Melbourne, we spent a good bit of time poking around on Google Earth to check out our new city. Once we came upon the small town of Ferntree Gully, we knew we had to pay it a visit. I mean, it just sounds mystical, right? The weather on Saturday was cloudy, but pleasant so we hopped a train bound for this – assumed to be – magical place.
The town is located at the edge of the Dandenong Ranges National Park, and hiking is the main attraction. While it wasn’t the easiest place to get into, the hike proved quite steep, challenging and full of massive eucalyptus (gum) trees and very little undergrowth. A really nice, though busy, place for an afternoon hike. Also, today we learned that there is an Upper (but no lower) Ferntree Gully; the Upper also containing a chocolate factory.
On Sunday morning, we went for a short bike ride along the beach, cleaned up the back yard and then, when the sun came out, went back to the beach to relax. We caught the end of a co-ed beach volleyball tournament – that with a bit of practice – we figured we could have been competitive in. Next year….
We are settling in to a rhythm, a life less driven by hectic home searching and appliance shopping and more on finding a calmer, healthier routine than we had back in the States.
Experimental Cooking
Parkville, Vic
[Erin] Growing up, whenever my mom would try a meal outside of her wheelhouse, she would always preface the meal with the descriptive warning that it was ‘experimental’. Carrying this over into my adult life, I have begun to refer to Andy’s enthusiastic use of flavors and discretionary attention to recipes as ‘experimental cooking’ and now whenever we try something new, it gets the ‘experimental’ disclaimer.
Food is culture. And there are a lot of new flavors in Melbourne for us to audition. Lamb shows up in places it would never been seen in the U.S. There is a new palette of seafood and an incredible amount of beetroot. Some foods just have different names, like Capsicums (bell peppers), Lollies (sweets), PawPaw (Papaya), hundreds and thousands (candy sprinkles). When I go to the market, I often spend a lot of time wandering around finding new things to try out in recipes. The latest experiment involved a can of Duck Fat I found at the market. Although this sounds absolutely disgusting, and honestly doesn’t look much better, I roasted baby potatoes and sage with duck fat and it was delicious. I am pretty sure we will always be fully stocked with a gross little can of Duck fat in our pantry from now on.
We remain with our shipment of goods and I refuse to buy a bunch of kitchen tools/dishes since we have all of our stuff ‘on-the-way’, we are rolling with just the essentials right now. This means 1 pot, 1 pitcher, 2 sets of cutlery, 2 plates/bowls and a variety of Shark Reef Knives that we got for Christmas and had to check in our baggage. Remarkably, one can do a lot with one pot. Just today with said pot, I made tea, poached two eggs, toasted some pepitas, trapped a large bee-fly and transported it outside, cooked a chili pork ragu, and cooked and then roasted a cheesy polenta. Of course this usually means it takes twice the amount of time that any normal cooking process might take, but it usually gives me twice the satisfaction. Plus, Australia is an island and everyone here is on some form of Island time…might as well join the crowd.
Today’s Experiment: Chili Pork Ragu over Cheesy Polenta and Kale Salad with Fennel and Apple.
In adventure news, we rigged a setup to allow our hammock in the backyard (garden) and took a nice long bike ride down the Yarra River Trail, stopping only ‘intermittently’ to photograph interesting landscape design.
by Andy Krause
andy@andykrause.com